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Weeks of practice and family time have left Swiss
maestro Roger Federer fit and refreshed ahead of what the 17-times major
winner believes could be an unpredictable Australian Open in the
absence of old foe Rafa Nadal.

Federer, 31, opted to skip his usual Australian Open
warm-up tournaments in the Middle East this year and instead spent it
working on his game and parenting, all part of a shorter 2013 schedule
that he hopes will extend his career but has left him hungry for
matches.

"I am very happy that the year is starting. It's a bit
of a different preparation for the Australian Open this year but I'm
confident I am mentally refreshed, which I am, and physically I am fine
and that I will play a good Australian Open," Federer told reporters in
Singapore on Friday.

"I have been practicing really hard the last few weeks
and didn't play a leading up tournament this year just because I thought
practice is very important for me coming up in the next year,
year-and-a-half."

The world number two's last match on Tour was back in
November when he was defeated in the final of the ATP Tour Finals in
London by Serbia's Novak Djokovic.

With only some exhibition matches in South America
since, some questioned the move to go straight to the Australian Open
but Federer, who won the last of his four Australian Open titles in
2010, said rest was required.

"It is key to always have a healthy schedule, it is
difficult to do as they (the tournaments) are spread out basically from
January to October-November," he said.

"It is hard to say I'm going to take one or two months
off and practice hard while there are 10 to 15 new tournament winners on
the Tour and you are sitting at home."

HIGHLY MOTIVATED

Federer said he had never been scared to take such decisions.

"For me, in the long run, I want to stay healthy and
enjoy what I am doing, I want to have fun, I want to be excited and
motivated coming back to the Tour," he explained.

"For that I really need to get away from it all, which I
have done for the last two or three weeks now after an incredible busy
South American trip and an incredible busy year so it is important for
me to have the family time."

While the Swiss seemingly manages his career like
clockwork, avoiding injury and ensuring he is always suitably refreshed
to add to his record grand slam haul, the same cannot be said of
Spaniard Nadal.

The 11-times grand slam champion has not played since
losing in the early rounds at Wimbledon last year as his troublesome
knees continue to require rest, forcing a late withdrawal from the Jan
14-27 Australian Open.

Federer said the continued absence of Nadal was an
opportunity for one of the other players in the men's draw to break the
Federer-Djokovic-Nadal domination, like Briton's Andy Murray did at the
U.S. Open in September.

"I think it is an exciting one, we have had four
different grand slam champions in the last year and everybody seems in
great shape," he said, acknowledging that defending champion and world
number one Djokovic was the favorite.

"Obviously with Rafa not around it is unfortunate, we
would love to see him back so we were all hoping he was going to come
back, but it creates opportunities for many other players with one less
guy who normally runs through 90 percent of the guys so it is an
interesting Australian Open."